ABC Anchor Koppel States "Private Thoughts" at ARCO Forum Event

After 37 years of questioning guests on television, Ted Koppel found himself on the other side of the microphone last night at the ARCO Forum.

In a question and answer format,

Koppel, the host of ABC's "Nightline," made clear that although he is an objective on-air journalist, he still has his own beliefs and biases.

"Journalists are some of the most opinionated people I know," Koppel said. "We just can't show it on camera."

The tables turned, Alex S. Jones, director of the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, used excerpts from Koppel's most recent book--Off Camera: Private Thoughts Made Public--to press the seasoned journalist on some of his personal views.

Jones told Koppel that he was a rarity in journalism for his willingness to express personal ideas while still on the air.

"People watching me each night have come to believe that they already know my opinions," Koppel said. "But I'd rather have people dislike me for what I truly believe, than like me for what they think I believe."

But the late-night news anchor of 20 years said a journalist's role is to look at the information they convey critically and with skepticism.